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Thursday, August 1, 2019

Here are some images of Moebius Models, Pargrafix, Yay Monsters 1/8 scale EVA Pod from the movie 2001 a space odyssey.
An excellent model over all though I did have a hard time fitting the two outer shell halves together.
There are some minor exterior details and one major interior detail that were missed from the kit. I added the exterior details but couldn't add the interior detail as I don't have enough information. What's missing is the bottom part of a Martin-Baker ejection seat with the side details. The problem is which seat. Maybe that's why it wasn't added in the kit.

The constellation for which the project was named is commonly pronounced /ˈdʒɛmɪnaɪ/, the last syllable rhyming with eye. However, staff of the Manned Spacecraft Center, including the astronauts, tended to pronounce the name /ˈdʒɛmɪni/, rhyming with knee. NASA's public affairs office issued a statement in 1965 declaring "Jeh-mih-nee" the "official" pronunciation. Gus Grissom, acting as Houston capsule communicator when Ed White performed his spacewalk on Gemini 4,
is heard on flight recordings pronouncing the spacecraft's call sign
"Jeh-mih-nee 4", and the NASA pronunciation is used in the film First Man.

Monday, July 15, 2019

From Wikipedia"The Dodge LCF (for "Low Cab Forward") was a series of medium- and heavy-duty trucks built by Dodge
from 1960 until 1976. They replaced the Dodge Forward Look range of
cabover trucks built in the fifties. The 500 through 700 series were
medium duty only, while 800 through 1000 series were reserved for
heavy-duty versions.
LCF range was also sold in Canada with the Fargo badge. In addition, following Chrysler Corporation policy of badge engineering to provide a greater number of sales outlets overseas, LCFs were also marketed in some countries with the De Soto badge.
LCF cabin section was taken directly from the 1956–1960 range of Dodge pickup trucks,
with its panoramic windshield, but was fitted with a unique front
section. One of the Dodge LCF's main selling points was accessibility;
the sides of the engine compartment and fenders being arranged to swing
open. A mechanic could easily stand between the engine and the front
wheel while working.A range of Dodge and International Harvester gasoline engines were available, as were diesels from Perkins (for lighter variants), Cummins, Caterpillar, and Detroit Diesel for the heaviest duty versions, both six-cylinder
and V8 versions. Gasoline-powered versions were simply called the "C"
series, followed by a numeral indicating weight class, and all of them
were V8-powered.
Perkins diesel-engined units were called "PC", while inline diesels
were called "CN" and V-type diesels were "CV". A "T" following the
letters indicates a tandem rear axle. On LCFs equipped with inline-six diesels the engine intruded into the cabin. This was covered with a removable panel for maintenance.
A near unlimited range of engines, transmissions, and rear axles were
available for what was usually a built-to-order truck. The biggest
diesel available was the Cummins V-903, a giant 903 cu in (14,794 cc)
unit with a modest 289 hp (216 kW) max output. The smaller 567 cu in
(9,299 cc) Detroit Diesel 8V-71N was the most powerful engine, with 300 hp (224 kW) on tap.With Dodge pulling out of the heavy truck business, the C series'
last year in the US market was 1975. A few hundred more CNT800's and
CNT900's were exported in 1976 as CKD kits to Latin American countries, where the last units were assembled until 1978.

Thursday, June 13, 2019

Here are some more images of Bandai's 1/16 scale 1913 Mercer Raceabout Type 35R. In a darker background.

From Wikipedia"Mercer was an American automobile manufacturer from 1909 until 1925. It was notable for its high-performance cars, especially the Type 35 Raceabout.

There was considerable talent and backing for the Mercer Automobile Company; Ferdinand Roebling, son of John A. Roebling,
was the president, and his nephew Washington A. Roebling II was the
general manager. The Roeblings had extensive success with wire rope
manufacturing and suspension bridge design; engineering was not a recent
concept for them. The secretary-treasurer was John L. Kuser, who, with
his brothers Frederick and Anthony, had amassed a fortune from banking,
bottling and brewing.Washington A. Roebling II was friends with William Walter, who had been making a small number of high-quality automobiles in New York City.
The Kusers owned a vacant brewery in Hamilton, New Jersey, and brought
Walter and his car factory there in 1906. However, Walter found himself
deeply in debt by 1909, so the Roeblings and Kusers bought him out in a
foreclosure sale. They changed the company name to Mercer, named after Mercer County, New Jersey. Talented designers and race drivers contributed to the new effort, and the focus became proving their product in competition.

The result was one of the most admired sports cars of the decade; the 1910 Type-35R Raceabout, a stripped-down, two-seat speedster,
designed to be "safely and consistently" driven at over 70 mph
(110 km/h). It was capable of over 90 mph (140 km/h). The Raceabout's inline 4-cylinder T-head engine displaced 293 cubic inches (4,800 cc) and developed 55 horsepower (41 kW) at 1,650 revolutions per minute. It won five of the six 1911 races it was entered in, losing only the first Indianapolis 500. Hundreds of racing victories followed.
The Raceabout became one of the premier racing thoroughbreds of the
era- highly coveted for its quality construction and exceptional
handling. In the 1914 road races in Elgin, Illinois, two Raceabouts collided and wrecked. Spencer Wishart,
a champion racer who always wore shirt and tie under his overalls, was
killed along with the car's mechanic, John Jenter. This prompted the
company to cancel its racing program.
The Raceabout's designer left the company that year, and subsequent
designs did not live up to the glory and appeal the Type-35R had earned. Earlier in February 1914, Eddie Pullen, who worked at the factory from 1910, won the American Grand Prize
held at Santa Monica, California, by racing for 403 mi (649 km) in a
Raceabout. Later that same year, Eddie also won The Corona Road Race
held in Corona, California, on November 26. For winning the 300-mile
(480 km) big car event, Pullen won $4,000 and an additional $2,000 for
setting a new world road race record. His average speed of 86.5 mph
(139.21 km/h) broke the record of 78.72 mph (126.69 km/h) set by Teddy
Tetzlaff at Santa Monica in 1912.n October, 1919, after the last involved Roebling brother died (Washington A. Roebling II perished in the 1912 Titanic
disaster), the company was obtained by a Wall Street firm that placed
ex-Packard vice-president Emlem Hare in charge, organizing Mercer under
the Hare's Motors corporate banner. Hare looked to expand, increasing
Mercer's models and production, and also purchasing the Locomobile & Crane-Simplex
marques. Within a few years, the cost of these acquisitions and the
economic recession took a financial toll on Hare's Motors. Locomobile
was liquidated and purchased by Durant Motors in 1922, and Mercer produced its last vehicles in 1925, after some 5,000 had been built.An independent effort to revive the marque in 1931 resulted in only 3 vehicles being constructed and displayed.
The company is currently owned by Fred Hoch of Schaeffer & Long.

Here are some images of a scratch'n'bash model of a 1/25 scale 1971 Plymouth Valiant built for a client.
Using Revell's 1/25 scale 1968 Dodge Dart and AMT's 1/25 scale 1971 Plymouth Duster and other parts.
The 1971 Plymouth Valiant was featured in the movie Duel.

Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Here are some more images of Bandai's 1/16 scale 1933 Duesenberg Boatail SJ (The Weymann Speedster) in a darker background.

From the Entex instructions"
"One of the most impressive Duesenbergs assembled", said road and track of the 1933 Duesenberg Boattail SJ "Weymann Speedster".
This
car, one of only 35 SJ's built, is a higher powered version of the 1932
Model J. The SJ is one of the first U.S. production automobiles to
incorporate
a supercharger. body was designed by Gordon Buehrig and
executed by Weymann American Body Company of Indianapolis, Chassis
Serial No. 2537 and Engine serial No. J-508.
The car's 153.5 inch
wheelbase qualifies it as one of the largest two seaters built. The
single carburated 429 cu. in., duel-overhead cam, straight eight engine
is boosted by a centrifugal
engine driven water heated supercharger.
This power package produced 320 BHP at 4750 rpm and could propel the
Speedster from 0 to 100 MPH in 17 seconds. Top speed in first gear was
85 MPH and a maximum speed of 129 MPH was claimed.
Among the many
innovative features is a self contained lubrication system for engine
and chassis that is automatically actuated every 75 miles from an
odometer signal.
Four wheel vacuum boosted hydraulic brakes of 15
inches in diameter and 3 inches width provided the stopping performance
for this heavy car.
The boattail deck compartment houses the spare
tire, tools and has room for considerable luggage. The large fire engine
siren and red light mounted in front of the grille were installed at
the factory for the cars original owner. Captain George Whittel of Lake
Tahoe, California
who was an honorary Fire Marshall. Due to its
tremendous crowd appeal the car was hardly ever driven and was sold to
the Harrah collection with approximately 1400 miles on the odometer.
It has been shown throughout the United States and is one of the prize displays of the Harrah collection in Reno Nevada.